Navotas City lone district Rep. Toby Tiangco (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)

Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas campaign manager Toby Tiangco does not agree with the criticism that members of their senatorial slate are "flip-floppers".

This criticism mainly has to do with the observation that a good number of the administration-backed Alyansa bets used to support and applaud former president Rodrigo Duterte's policies and pronouncements.

These include Duterte's aggressive war on illegal drugs or tokhang. President Marcos--Alyansa's top endorser and Duterte's direct predecessor--has since differentiated his administration from the past by aiming for a "bloodless" anti-drug campaign.

Tiangco said in a recent interview that there was "no inconsistency" among the Alyansa candidates that they are now aligned with Marcos given the new information about the Duterte drug war that has come out.

"Papaano naman ‘yong lumalabas na mga ebidensya ng EJK ‘di ba? Syempre pwede naman silang mag-iba kung nakakita na sila ng ebidensya ng extrajudicial killings ‘di ba? So ‘yon naman ang pagkakaiba," said the Navotas congressman.

(What about the pieces of evidence on EJK that are coming out? Of course they can change their mind based on these evidence of extrajudicial killings right? So that's the difference.)

Tiangco says changing one's mind based on new these information should not be considered flip-flopping.

Critics of the Duterte administration claim that up to 30,000 perished during the drug war. For Tiangco, these are just one the election issues that the candidates must speak on.

Another key issue is the West Philippine Sea (WPS), where Alyansa candidates have unequivocally expressed their support for Marcos' vow to not give up even an inch of Philippine territory.

Tiangco dismissed claims that Marcos, during the 2022 campaign season, had presented himself as a continuity candidate to Duterte as far as the WPS issue with China is concerned.

"Ang stand naman niya (Marcos) talaga is a friend to everyone and an enemy to none ‘d iba? Pero papaano naman ang gagawin natin kung ganoon na ‘yong ginagawa sa coast guard natin? Papaano naman gagawin natin kung binabangga na ‘yong coast guard natin? Papaano naman natin kung ‘yong mga mangingisda natin ay inaapi doon sa [WPS]? Can you keep that same stance? Hindi na pupwede ‘yon," he said.

(Marcos' stand has really been to be a friend to everyone and an enemy to none right? But what are we going to do if they're doing that to our coast guard? If they're ramming our coast guard? What if our fishermen are being oppressed in the WPS? Can you keep that same stance? We can't allow that.)

"He could have said that before pero kung nag-iba na ‘yong trato ng China sa atin hindi naman pwedeng wala siyang gawin ‘di ba? ("He could have said that before but if China had changed the way it treated us, then he can't just stay idle, right?)" Tiangco said of Marcos.

"Hindi naman natin iniimbento na binabangga ‘yong Philippine Coast Guard. Hindi naman natin iniimbento na ‘yong mga mangingisda natin pinapaalis doon. So how will you keep that stance naman kung ganoon ang ginagawa sa atin. So kailangan mag-iba din," he said.

(That our Philippine Coart Guard vessels are being rammed isn't invented. We didn't invent that our fishermen are being driven away there. So how will you keep that stance if they're doing that to us. So we need to change.)